The National Cowboy Symposium will be having its 29th annual celebration of all things cowboy – music, poetry, papers, chuck wagon cookoff, cowboy church on Sunday morning – preceeded by authentic chuck wagon cooking in 40 or so dutch oven (iron kettles) placed on coals on the ground (north of the Civic Center). It is a busy place, with 6 stages running programs at the same time all day Friday and Saturday. Then they have a major show in the evening on Friday and Saturday nights from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the big auditorium. This event draws thousands of people to the Civic Center there in Lubbock, Texas each year. The date is Thursday evening, Sept. 7 through Sunday morning, Sept. 10th.

I just received word that I have been invited to perform there, again. This is, as best I can figure, my 17th year to be one of the maybe 75 to 100 entertainers. My first year to perform, thanks to the Director – Alvin Davis – was in 1991. As you can tell from the photo, below, things have changed a wee bit. But I still have that “Tom Mix Grizzly Hat” I bought that year.

Stan Paregien with singer, actress Patsy Montana in 1991

Movie stunt man and actor Richard Farnsworth

Singer R.W. Hampton and actor Barry Corbin

Fletcher Jowers with Stan Paregien in 1992

Actor Barry Corbin with Stan Paregien

Actor Dale Robertson with Stan Paregien in 1998

Stan Paregien with famed Western novelist Elmer Kelton in 1999

Stan Paregien with cowboy humorist and author Curt Brummett in 1999

Western novelist Dusty Richards with Paul Patterson (author and humorist; and Elmer Kelton’s beloved high school teacher) and Stan Paregien in 2000

Rancher and rodeo star Will Stearns and and wife/rancher/author/poet Rhonda (Sedgwick) Starnes with Stan Paregien in 2002

Actor James Drury of “The Virginian” TV show with Stan Paregien in 2002

On Friday my first performance will be in a “Stories & Poetry” session in Civic Center Room 107. Others include Carol Glover of Amarillo, TX and June Cathey of Martin, TX.

My second performance on Friday will be at 4:00 p.m. in a “Music” session in the Civic Center – Banquet drag” (i.e., bringing up the rear) at an outdoor “Music” session from 11 a.m. to 1:50 (long session). It will be in the “North Park” (just north of the Civic Center) at the Outdoor Stage. Those performing will be Craig Cortes and Zack Carey of Marathon, TX; Allan Chapman & Rodeo Kate of Ft. Worth; Stan Mahler of Olney, TX; Sid Hausman of NM; Bill Cate of Cleburne, TX; Mary Kaye of Escalante, UT; and your’s truly.

Then at 3:00 pm I will perform at a “Stories & Poetry” session in Room 107 of the Civic Center. Others performing will be ol’ saddle pal Roff Flake of Gilbert, AZ; and Gary Penny of Lorena, TX.

And my last performance will be at 4:00 pm in a “Poetry & Stories” session in the Civic Center, Banquet Hall 1-West. Other performers include David Hansford, Ft. Worth, TX; and Jeff Posey of Ft. Worth, TX.

Y’all come, if you can. The host hotel, where a great many of the performs will stay (including Peggy and me), is the MCM Elegante Hotel & Suites (formerly the Holiday Inn Hotel & Towers) at 801 Avenue Q in Lubbock (directly west of and near the Civic Center). 806-763-1200

I have placed online nearly 100 photos of me and folks I have met at the National Cowboy Symposium since 1991. Counting the 29th event this September, I will have had the pleasure and honor of performing at 17 or so of those annual events. I started when I was “not-so-old” and now I’m one of the senior Senior Citizens still telling stories and reciting poetry and doing a little music, all of the cowboy kind, of course. You may see all those photos at my Flickr account in the album titled “National Cowboy Symposium.” That is at:

Sam Elliott and “The Hero,”

His Latest Movie

Today, Aug. 9 th is the birthday of actor and all-around good guy Sam Elliott. Happy birthday, Sam, . . . and salute! He was born in 1944 in that old cow town of . . . Sacramento, CA. He started in films in 1969 and married Katharine Ross in 1984. Their stable marriage is unusual in glitzy Hollywood.

The first photo, above, shows Sam Elliott dressed in his familiar cowboy gear, as he had done a lot of fine Western roles over the years (“The Sacketts,” “Tombstone,” etc. The second photo is of Sam and his lovely and talented wife, actress Katherine Ross. She is best known for her first major role years ago as the love interest for both Paul Newman and Robert Redford in “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Ironically, Sam was in that movie as well, but they never got a chance to meet during the filming.

Ol’ Sam, with his deep and roughly melodious voice, has made a sizeable amount of money over the years doing voice over commercials for such outfits as the Dodge Ram pickup, the American Beef Raisers (“Beef. It’s what’s for supper.”), and others. He has worked pretty doggone steadily through all the years.

In my point of view, it is unfortunate that both Sam and Katharine (a minor role) got hooked up with the production of the 2017 movie, “The Hero.” The gist of the film is that he plays a has-been, once-famous cowboy actor who has reached old age with not much to show for it. He doesn’t have much money but he is able to drink like a fish and smoke pot to his heart’s content, a normal thing it seems . . . or at least there is no real objection to it. The self-center character has ruined his marriage with his wife (played by Katharine Ross), and made his daughter hate him with a deep passion. But he still has a few fans who stroke his ego from time to time. And he gets that old star-power feeling, temporarily, when a group of Western movie fans present him with their annual award at their convention. Yahoo. There is a constant street of vulgar language on the part of his character and that of a young woman — profane stand-up comedian — he beds down after he learns he is dying of cancer. Cut. And print. That’s about it.

This movie was a major disappointment for me. I felt sorry for Sam and Katharine for making such an odd, depressingly different film from previous ones. Frankly, I think the film had no redeeming virtues and I would warn fans of Sam to not get closer than the length of a football field from this dog.